[0001] The present invention relates to a beaded row hanger for a hair weft extension that is applied to a user’s head to enhance the user’s hair.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] There are several different methods and devices to attach hair weft extensions to a user’s hair. For example, US patent number 8,434,500 to Alex discloses a small hair weft as a hair band which effectively has an adhesive backing which attaches to the user’s hair. Hair wefts have various sizes. See for example, US patent number 6,135,122 to Campbell; US patent publication number 2001/0037813 to Ra; US patent publication 2006/0169296 to Gil; and US patent publication number 2007/0157944 to Catron.

[0003] Generally, longer hair wefts, wefts between 15 - 30cm (measured laterally as applied to the user’s hair), are attached to a user’s hair via different systems rather than the adhesive - type system of US patent number 8,434,500 to Alex. One method of attaching longer hair wefts utilizes a thin fishing wire - type loop wherein the long hair weft is attached to the terminal ends of the thin loop. See US patent number 9894951 to Alex. The loop typically is a clear fishing line and the line and hair weft extension encircles the user’s head.

[0004] In connection with these longer hair wefts, hairstylists sometimes gather a small group of hair strands, referred to herein as a “hair tuft”, and thread this hair tuft through a very small bead and then crimp the deformable bead on the hair tuft near the rooted end of the hair. Multiple beads are used. The hairstylist will attach multiple beads (a plurality of beads) along a lateral line circumscribing a part of the user's head. The beads are attached in a hair part on the head of the customer. These beads are typically spaced about 20 mm apart. However since stylists attach the beads one by one, uniform spacing between the beads varies greatly dependent upon the skill of the stylist and the time set aside for the application of the hair weft. After attaching this lateral row of beads one-by-one on corresponding hair tufts along a portion of the user's head, the stylist then opens the first or primary bead in the lateral row and then threads a bead cord (similar to a thin string) several times through the central core or passage of the primary first-in-line bead. The stylist then ties that bead cord on the primary bead. At other times, the stylist will crimp the bead closed with a plier or some type of closure tool.

The stylist then continues forming the one-by-one bead hanger by looping or threading the bead cord through each laterally successive bead, first by opening each successive lateral bead, then threading the bead cord through the central opening of the successive bead, and finally tying the bead cord or crimping the successive bead on the cord. The next-in-line laterally adjacent bead is then similarly processed. Alternatively, the one-by-one bead hanger can be formed by (i) with a primary hair tuft, threading the hair tuft through the first primary bead onto the customer’s hair tuft; (ii) then threading a successive lateral hair tuft through another to-be-laterally disposed bead in the customer’s hair part; (iii) threading a bead cord through the primary and the successive lateral bead (resulting in the bead cord running between the primary and the successive lateral bead; (iv) crimping the primary bead closed, there by securing the primary bead to the customer’s head and capturing or locking the bead cord and the captured hair tuft in that bead; and (v) repeating the process for the remaining successive lateral beads. [0005] After installing the bead cord on all these laterally disposed beads about the user's head, the stylist then returns to the primary bead, opens the primary or first bead and, using a curved needle having a tying thread through the needle’s eye, threads the tying thread through the primary bead and sews a terminal end piece of the hair weft onto that primary bead. Once the hair weft sewn onto the first bead, the first bead is again closed. The stylist crimps the primary bead closed with the crimping tool or plier thereby securing the hair weft in place on the bead. Thereafter, the stylist processes the next laterally successive bead, opens the bead, threads the tying string through the bead with the needle, again sews the hair weft onto the successive bead and crimps and closes that successive lateral bead. This process is continued for all the remaining laterally disposed successive beads.

[0006] Optionally, between each crimped, tied and weft-sewn bead and before the hair weft is sewn to the next lateral successive bead, the stylist may sew the hair weft to the bead cord itself (not the tuft-attached beads) at an intermediate position between two adjacent tuft-attached beads. This entire process is extremely labor intensive and time consuming. The prior art process typically takes about 35 to 45 minutes to attach a single hair weft onto one beaded lateral row. Sometimes this first lateral row is called a foundational row. Some users request that multiple wefts be attached to their heads with several vertically spaced apart bead rows, each bead row attaching a different hair weft to the user’s head. The present invention provides a better solution to the hairstylist such that a foundational lateral beaded row can be attached to a user’s head in about 9 - 10 minutes rather than 35 - 60 minutes (the one-by-one bead attachment in the prior art). Also, the present invention with generally uniformly spaced apart beads, controls the weight distribution uniformly over the head of the customer. The prior art one-by-one-bead application results in variable spacing which places uneven weight and force on some bead-captured hair tufts compared to other bead-captured hair tufts in the lateral row. The result of the lateral spatial difference in the one-by-one-bead application sometimes causes the hair weft to fall out faster than the generally uniformly spaced apart beads used in the present invention. Also with the present invention, the generally uniformly spaced apart beads improves and assures quality installation or application of the hair weft on the beaded hanger. Stated otherwise, stylists may rush to complete the hair weft application by spacing the beads further apart than recommended by the hair weft manufactures. The generally uniformly spaced apart beaded hanger row avoids this problem.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION [0007] It is an object of the invention to provide a beaded row hanger which enables a hairstylist to quickly attach a hair weft extension to a customer’s head (sometimes herein a “customer” is referred to as a “user”).

[0008] It is another object of the present invention to provide a plurality of small beads pre strung on a beaded cord. Ultimately, these beads support an elongated hair weft hair extension. [0009] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a kit for use in attaching a hair weft extension.

[0010] It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a kit having a beaded hanger, a threader and a tying thread permitting the user to quickly attach the beaded hanger to the user’s head and sew the hair weft to the pre-strung beads on the beaded cord. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011 ] The beaded row hanger of the present invention permits a stylist to attach a hair weft extension onto a customer’s head. The hair weft is attached to a beaded row hanger which hanger is earlier attached to the user-customer’s hair. The beads are attached to several spaced apart hair tufts forming a part on the customer’s head. The beaded row hanger includes a plurality of small beads pre-strung on a bead cord. Each pre-strung bead has a central passage sized to receive via threading a corresponding hair tuft. Operationally, a part is created in the customer’s hair, small hair tufts are gathered at the part and these hair tufts are threaded through the central passage of the bead with a threading tool. Hence in a preferred embodiment, the bead through-passage is large enough to pass the hair tuft and the loop of the loop or tool needle eye. Once the bead is adjacent the skull portion of the hair part, the primary bead is crimped closed. The remaining pre-strung beads on the beaded row hanger are then attached in a similar manner throughout the lateral hair part. Since the beads on the pre-strung beaded row hanger are generally uniformly spaced apart, the attachment by the stylist is quick and easy and creates a uniform hanger support structure for mounting (by sewing) the hair weft extension onto the customer’s head via the earlier attached beaded row hanger.

[0012] To attach the hair weft, the stylist effectively sews the weft to the beaded row hanger.

Hence, the central bead passage is also sized to receive a tying thread which is used to tie the hair weft onto the beaded hanger (the beaded row hanger being earlier attached by hair tufts to the user’s head). Operationally, once the beaded row hanger is applied (or installed) on the customer’s head, the primary or first bead is opened, a needle (or a loop-type threader) carrying a tying thread in its eye (or in the loop of the threader tool) threads the tying thread through the hair-attached bead (typically the first or primary bead in the lateral bead row). Thereafter, the needle or threader sews the tying thread onto the hair weft (for the first bead, this sewn attachment is at a terminal end of the weft). The weft is then sewn onto each laterally spaced apart bead on the beaded row hanger by opening the bead, using the tying thread to sew the weft onto the hanger, then closing the operative bead. Clips may be used to stabilize the weft during this sewing process.

[0013] Each bead on the pre-strung bead cord is spaced apart between 10 and 30 mm. The beads are deformable to multiple crimped or closed conditions and multiple open passage conditions. In the first crimped condition, the central passage is collapsed about the hair tuft. In the second crimped condition, the central passage is collapsed about the corresponding hair tuft and the tying thread. In a first open condition, the central passage permits threading of the corresponding hair tuft therethrough and a tool loop or tool eye. In a second open condition, while retaining the corresponding hair tuft therein, the central bead passage permits threading of the tying thread therethrough in addition to the tool loop or tool eye to achieve a sewn attachment of the hair weft onto the operative bead. Preferably, the central passage has an inside passageway measurement of between 1 and 10 mm. Also, preferably, each small bead has a longitudinal or vertical dimension of between 2 and 12 mm. The longitudinal dimension of the bead is coplanar with the axial centerline of the central passage. [0014] A kit is also part of the invention. The kit is used to attach an elongated hair weft extension to head hair via the plurality of hair tufts. The kit includes a tying thread; a threader having a user grip terminating in a threading loop or an eye; and a bead hanger having a plurality of small beads pre-strung on a bead cord. These pre-strung beads have a central passage as described above. The passage is sized to concurrently receive (a) a corresponding hair tuft of the plurality of hair tufts, (b) the tying thread and (c) tool loop or eye during the operations described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Further objects and advantages of the present invention can be found in the detailed description of the preferred embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0016] Fig. 1 diagrammatically illustrates an enlarged view of a portion of a beaded row hanger in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Similar numerals refer to similar items in the drawings. [0017] Fig. 2 diagrammatically illustrates a hair weft with a plurality of hair extension hairs falling away from the hair weft foundation.

[0018] Fig. 3 diagrammatically illustrates one type of threader tool having a grip and a loop or an eye for the hair tuft or tying thread. [0019] Fig. 4 diagrammatically illustrates pliers having special crimp cavities to open and then close the deformable bead.

[0020] Figs. 5 - 11A, 1 IB and 11C diagrammatically illustrate the process of attaching the beaded row hanger onto the user’s head including the use of a threader tool, crimping by the plier, attaching the beaded row hanger on the user’s head, and sewing the hair weft onto the beaded row hanger.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021 ] The present invention relates to a beaded row hanger and a kit for use in attaching a hair weft extension to a user’s head. Similar numerals designate similar items in the drawings. [0022] Fig. 1 diagrammatically illustrates an enlarged view of a portion of the beaded row hanger 10. Typically, in one preferred embodiment, the beaded row hanger is about 15 - 30cm long and each bead is spaced apart about 10 - 30mm. The beads are pre-strung on the bead cord generally with a uniform spacing therebetween (in one preferred embodiment, about 12-24mm apart, and 13mm being substantially ideal). Each bead has an inside passageway or central passage having an interior dimension of about 3-6 mm (in one preferred embodiment) and a longitudinal (vertical) dimension of about 3-8 mm (in one preferred embodiment). In other embodiments, the vertical span or height of the bead may be 2 - 12 mm, the inner diameter of the bead 1 - 10 mm. These are small, deformable beads. For example, with respect to bead 12, the longitudinal dimension 14 is coplanar with axial centerline A - A’. Each bead, 8, 12, 14, 16, 18 is tied to the next successive lateral bead via a bead cord 20. The primary or lead bead 8 ties off the end of bead cord 20. Bead cord 20 is looped several times through each separate central passage of each bead, see for example, central passage 13 of bead 12. The bead cord then leads to the next successive bead 14 where the cord is wrapped multiple times through the central passage of bead 14 and again tied off onto the following successive bead on the beaded row hanger 10.

[0023] Fig. 2 diagrammatically shows hair weft 21 with a weft foundation 24 and a plurality of extension hairs 26 falling away from weft foundation 24. Although an elongated weft is shown in Fig. 2, the weft may be as short of 50 mm.

[0024] Fig. 3 diagrammatically shows a threader tool 28 having a user grip 30 and a loop or eye 32 at a terminal end thereof. In a preferred embodiment, user grip 30 is about 10 - 15cm in length and the loop is a wire loop 32 which is a relatively stiff and is displaced from the grip center line by an angle Z from grip 30 centerline A” - A’”. The reference to “user grip” herein refers to the stylist grip because the customer does not self-apply the hair weft with beads. Alternatively, threader 28 could form an enlarged eye at its terminal end. The eye is a fixed element at terminal end 31 of user grip 30. The eye should be large enough to permit threading of a hair tuft through the eye. See Fig. 5 and the explanation below. In this embodiment, the eye could be similar to the eye of a needle. The offset angle Z is approximately 30 - 50° from axial centerline A”- A’” as noted by the loop centerline B” in Fig. 3. Loop 32 has a maximum open region of about 10 - 20mm. The length of loop 32 from the terminal end of the user grip to the bent tip of the loop is about 15cm. There are several different embodiments of the threader tool. First, the loop 32 need not be disposed at an angle with respect to the grip 30 centerline (the loop may be substantially aligned with the grip centerline). Also, the wire loop 32 may be highly flexible. If the loop is highly flexible, the stylist manually opens the loop and then threads the item through the loop and pushes or pulls the tying element through the bead’s orifice. [0025] Fig. 4 diagrammatically illustrates plier 40 having plier jaws 41, 42. Interior jaw surfaces 41, 42 of plier 30 form depressions or partial cavities 43, 44 which depressions are slightly smaller than the outer dimension of the deformable bead when the bead is in its original, factory delivered state. The depth of depressions 43, 44 from flat jaw surface 41, 42 permit the stylist to close the bead to a uniform closed position. The outer dimension of the deformable bead in Fig. 1 is shown in connection with bead 16 as outer dimension 17. It should be noted that pliers with a flat jaw surface may also be used to compress and open the deformable beads 8, 12, 14, 16 and 18, however over-compression of the deformable bead may weaken the bead since the bead is closed and opened several times. To fully compress the cylindrical beads, the user crimps both sides of the bead with the flat jaw surface to collapse central passage 13. To partly close the bead, the user

(stylist) places the bead in the cavities or depressions 43, 44 and the stylist closes the plier and the depression sidewalls applies pressure about the elongated sides of the compressed, crimped bead thereby forcing partial closure of the central passage to a uniform closed position. The mid-jaw cavities close the bead partly to avoid crimping the bead too tightly to the hair weft. When the bead is in the cavity, the cavity limits the closing force applied by the user (hair stylist). By limiting the closing force and also partly closing the bead on the hair tuft (closing the bead passage enough to lightly capture the captive hair tuft but not closing the bead passage all the way), the hair tuft is not overly damaged by the repetitive opening and closing of the bead. When the hair weft is sewn onto the hanger with the tying thread, the stylist can then fully close the bead with the flat plier jaw surfaces (those surfaces beyond the cavities) and hence better mount or apply the weft onto the multiple hair tufts via a set of fully closed beads.

[0026] It should be noted that although the beads shown in Fig. 1 are cylindrical in shape, these beads may take any form or shape provided that the beads have a central passageway sufficiently large enough to permit threating of loop or eye 32 of threader tool 28 when that loop or eye captures a tuft of hair to be fed through the central passageway 13 (see bead 12) and the central passageway is large enough to thereafter thread a tying thread through the passageway while the passageway captures and retains a tuft of hair in passage 13. This feature is explained later in connection with Figs. 5 - llA - l lC. If square beads are used, the crimping tool or pliers has squared-off cavities or depressions.

[0027] Fig. 5 shows a user’s head 60 with a plurality of head hair 62. Portion 63 of head hair

62 is pulled upwards and held in place by comb or clip 64. This generally exposes a lateral hair part along a lateral portion of the user’s skull at hair part 65. As diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 10, the beaded row hanger will be laterally applied over this hair part region 65 on the user’s hair. Figs. 5 - 10 diagrammatically illustrate the methodology of first attaching the beaded row hanger 10 to the user’s hair over lateral part 65 and then sewing the weft onto the beaded row hanger.

[0028] As graphically illustrated in Fig. 5, a tuft of hair 66 is obtained by the hairstylist below part 65. Threader tool 28 has been inserted into the primary or first bead 8 and hair tuft 66 is threaded through open loop 32 of threader tool 28. [0029] Fig. 6 diagrammatically illustrates that hair tuft 66 has been threaded through central passageway of deformable bead 8. Deformable bead 8 and the laterally sequential beads 12, 14 are shown in Fig. 6. Bead 8 is the primary or first bead of the lateral application process.

[0030] Fig. 7 diagrammatically illustrates that pliers have collapsed or crimped primary bead

8 closed as shown by the arrows on the left and right hand side of bead 8. The better practice is to crimp the bead with the specially designed crimper tool or pliers by using the jaw cavities to partly close the bead passageway (and not fully close the bead on the hair tuft). In this manner, the bead is deformed and secured on the user-customer’s near the roots of the hair of hair tuft 66.

[0031] Fig. 8 diagrammatically shows that another hair tuft (unnumbered) is threaded through the next lateral successive bead 12 on the beaded row hanger 10. [0032] Fig. 9 graphically illustrates that pliers or crimping tool is used to crimp the lateral bead 12 near the root of hair tuft 68. As shown in Fig. 9, secondary hair tuft 68 is different and distinct from initial hair tuft 66.

[0033] Fig. 10 diagrammatically illustrates that all the beads of beaded row hanger 10 (formed by beads 8, 12, 14, 16, 18 and bead cord 20) have been attached in a lateral row partly or fully circumscribing the user’s hair. The lateral row is attached at part 65 (Fig. 5). Bead 8 is crimped and held on hair tuft 66. Bead 18 is laterally disposed and spaced apart from initial bead 8. Typically, in one preferred embodiment, the spacing between each bead on the beaded row hanger is between 10 - 30mm. In other embodiments, the bead-to-bead spacing may be a short 25 mm or a long space 250 mm (25 cm). Since the beads are pre-strung on the bead row hanger 10, the spacing between beads is generally uniform and not subject to variability by the stylist compared to the one- by-one bead placement in the prior art. If studies find that the bead-to-bead spacing over a terminal end region of the bead hanger row 10 (for example, over a 4 bead segment of the hanger) can be greater than the bead-to-bead spacing in the mid-section of the head hanger row, then the manufacturer’s choice of enlarging the bead-to-bead spacing in the terminal end region still maintains the “uniform spacing” preferred embodiment set forth herein. In a similar manner, if studies show that the bead-to-bead in the terminal end regions of the hanger need smaller spaces due to weight distribution of the hair weft and/or the customer interaction with the sided of his or her head compared to the mid-section weight and force considerations, then an enlarged bead-to-bead spacing in the mid-section compared to the terminal end sections still is considered to be uniform spacing of the beads. Hence, the uniform spacing may be a smaller bead-to-bead at the left terminal end region, a larger bead-to-bead at mid-sectional region and a smaller bead-to-bead at right terminal end region. In this sense the bead-to-bead is uniform because the bead-to-bead spacing is set by the manufacturer, not the stylist applying the beads to the user’s head. [0034] Fig. 11A, 1 IB and 11C diagrammatically illustrate applying the hair weft on the now-attached beaded row hanger 10. In one embodiment, the hairstylist utilizes threading needle 70 having a tying thread 72 mounted and carried thereon which is threaded through a needle eye of needle 70. This is shown and described in Fig. 11 A (herein step 11(a)). After opening the central passage of bead 8 with the pliers or other tool, the hairstylist passes needle 70 through the central passage of bead 8 and draws tying thread 72 through that central passage. In Fig. 1 IB, step 11(b), needle 70 and the attached tying thread 72 is sewn through weft foundation 24 of weft 21. Tying thread 72 is then used to tie or sew weft 21 onto primary bead 8. Repetitive sewing steps are needed to secure weft 21 to the now-attached beaded row hanger 10 (see Fig. 1). In Fig. 11C, step 11(c), weft foundation 24 is drawn to bead 8 and sewn onto the bead. In Fig. 11C, extension hairs falling from foundation 24 on the left side of the Figure have been removed to show that the foundation 24 is attached to underlying beads 8, 12. On the right side, the extension hairs falling from the hair weft 21 completely cover the applied beaded row hanger. The term “applied” refers to a hanger mounted onto one or more tufts of hair. Alternatively, rather than threading the typing thread 72 through the orifice in the bead, the stylist may loop tying thread 72 vertically around the entire weft. This loop-around-the-weft process may be used if the vertical span of the weft is small. A small vertical weft may be about 3 mm.

[0035] Prior to passing needle 70 through the central passage 13 of bead 8, the stylist opens up the bead such that the needle and the tying thread can pass through the passage which also captures hair tuft 66. In this manner, the central passageway of bead 8 must be large enough to accommodate needle 70, tying thread 72, and hair tuft 66. After weft foundation 24 is drawn close to bead 8, the stylist again crimps the bead closed. In this manner, the bead is deformable and has multiple closed or collapsed conditions (the first closed or crimped condition being when the bead is initially collapsed about the hair tuft; the second closed condition is when the same bead is collapsed about the hair tuft and the tying thread). The first closed position may be a partly closed position if the stylist uses the special crimping tool discussed above. The bead also has multiple open conditions, first when the hair tuft is initially threaded with the loop or eye of the threader tool 28 when the loop-eye captures the hair tuft, and a second open condition when the bead is opened to permit passage of the needle or second threader plus the tying thread concurrently when the hair tuft is captured within the central passage of the bead. Therefore, although the bead is quite small, the central passage needs to be sized to fit the threader tool end (whether the loop end of tool 28 or needle tool 70) and also large enough to have the hair tuft and the tying thread passing through the passage at different stages of application. [0036] Optionally, the stylist may sew and tie the weft foundation 24 at the mid-sectional bead cord points (points generally intermediate successive lateral beads), such as between bead 8 and 12. The claims appended hereto are meant to cover modifications and changes within the scope and spirit of the present invention.